‘Above the Polar Bear’ by Florian Ledoux

I consider myself very lucky to have a job that I enjoy and one that allows me to look at hundreds of fantastic photographs as well as work with some amazing and talented photographers. That said, it makes this particular task at the end of the year rather tricky. I see so many images and the standard is so high, so how do I pick just one?

I have noticed a big increase in drone photography in the past year, with more entries than ever entered into our Amateur Photographer of the Year competition. Although drones remain a controversial technology for photography, they are excellent tools for capturing scenes in a new way if they are used in a legal and safe capacity. This image of a polar bear jumping over the ice floes in Nunavut, Canada, really struck a chord with me. It was taken by French photographer Florian Ledoux with his Phantom 4 Pro, and it won him first place in SkyPixel’s 2017 photo story contest.

‘I have witnessed incredible moments and scenes of the wild but I can guarantee you that this, by far, is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,’ said Ledoux. ‘I hope that future generations will still be able to witness the beauty and grandeur of the Arctic wildlife the same way we do today.’

I agree with him, this is an incredible moment captured from a unique perspective. I also hope that future generations will be able to see scenes of this nature in the future and not just photos from times gone by. This is why drones are such excellent tools. They are paramount in monitoring conservation projects and collecting high- quality data, and when it comes to photographing wildlife in their natural habitat, photographers can do so with minimal disturbance.